These days it seems even an everyday task can be a minefield of hidden hazards.

Pirniehall Primary School in Pilton, Edinburgh, was landed with a Pounds 350 bill after being told it had to employ a professional joiner to hang up children’s artwork. The city council claimed it always uses professional tradesmen to do such work in school buildings and was concerned that one of the pictures could fall from the wall and injure a child.

The artwork that had caused the controversy was a collection of photographs taken by children to raise awareness about the deprivation among Burmese children.

“The children in Burma are really struggling - that Pounds 350 would have gone so much further there,” said Brian Robertson, a member of the school’s parent council.

Green Party councillor Alison Johnstone said: “Nobody wants to expose children to unnecessary risks but this is taking things too far.”

Parents have offered to do the job themselves while being closely supervised. (Cover feature, p10).